Do your fingers crack and hurt? Maybe your joints feel decrepit, your hand’s ache and your knuckles fail to function as they should.
If your answer is a resounding ‘yes’, you may have one of the numerous types of arthritis that can affect the hands. If you struggle with arthritis in your hands, you are not alone. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 26% of women and 19.1% of men live with a doctor-diagnosed arthritic condition. Although research indicates rates of hand osteoarthritis may be as high as 34.6% in women and 33.7% in men.
Arthritis in hands can be devastating; we don’t always realize how often we use our hands until it hurts to do just that. Without proper care, the repercussions can seriously affect your quality of life. The good news is that it doesn’t have to. There are natural therapeutic options available, including easy exercises you can do at home to relieve the tension on your own.
Signs and Symptoms of Arthritis in Hands
Signs and symptoms of arthritis in hands can include:
- Pain in some or all of your joints
- Numbness and/or stiffness in your fingers
- Red, swollen or even warm joints
- Bony ‘knobs’ on your fingers
While you may not feel that you can move your arthritic hands, gentle exercise is just what you need to improve the function of your hands. Therefore, we have created 5 exercises with helpful images so you can try them at home.
In addition, look out for the Jane Fonda hand-exercise workout video at the end of this article. If you did not find her (and Lili Tomlin) hilariously tackling arthritis in Grace and Frankie, you may have been addicted to her exercise videos from the 80s — if not her movies.
Without further ado, let’s get moving.
Do Hand Exercises Help Arthritis?
Despite what you might think, the days of laying in bed to recover are over — to an extent. Sure, you need adequate sleep and rest to live optimally, however, you also need to move around to get the juices flowing in your joints so you can bend and straighten them.
You joints act a bit like a car with many moveable machine parts that need to be well-oiled. If the car is not well-oiled, you end up with parts that don’t rotate or bend. Likewise, the synovial membrane that surrounds your joints naturally produces a fluid that lubricates the joints so you can move freely.
Arthritis can cause the synovial lining to swell and the fluid to accumulate, causing the fluid to not get where it should. By exercising, you help circulate the fluid.
Get Arthritis Relief From Nature’s Lab>>
5 Hand Exercises for Arthritis Pain Relief
We use our hands almost every waking moment. Dexterity and a base level of strength are required for self-care and daily life, not to mention joyful pursuits like painting, dancing, crossword puzzle completion and, our fav, sipping a therapeutic cup of tea.
While you may feel like you have gnarled stiff knots instead of easy moving fingers, hand exercises for arthritis can make a wonderful difference. Let’s take a look at five options that may provide ligament and tendon support, improve hand flexibility and reduce pain.
Finger Stretches
- Place your hand with your palm comfortably facing upward.
- One by one, raise each finger slowly toward the center of your palm, starting with your thumb.
- Hold for a moment, straighten, and then release.
- Repeat with the next digit until you bend and stretch all 5 fingers.
Opening and Closing Your Fist
- Begin with an open hand and straight fingers
- Gently close into a fist, keeping your thumb on the outside to avoid unnecessary pressure on this joint
- Release and again straighten each finger
- Perform 10 times on the left
- Repeat on the right
Claw Stretch
- With your palm again facing you, bend your fingers and see if you can touch the tips to the bases of your fingers joints.
- This should resemble a claw and gives this exercise its name.
- Hold for up to a minute and repeat four to six times.
Grip & Pinch
- Hold a soft exercise ball in your palm
- Squeeze for two to three seconds, then release
- Repeat approximately 12 times
- Like any resistance training exercise, this can build muscle strength and tone.
Finger Lifts
- Lay your hand on a table, palm down
- Raise one finger gently from the table
- Slowly return to its beginning position and repeat with the next digit
- Perform eight to 12 times
Naturally-derived Topicals Offer Pain Relief
If you are having trouble getthing these exercises started, there are a range of ointments and creams specially designed for arthritis sufferers that offer incredible pain relief. Premium products that incorporate evidence-based ingredients like menthol and camphor are well loved for their soothing properties. As an added benefit, they are gentle and avoid the potentially harmful side effects that commonly occur with pharmaceutical pain relief options.
CBDMEDIC™ offers a naturally-derived Arthritis Aches & Pain Relief Cream that is great for the hands. The cream absorbs into the skin and targets pain at its source, while also serving as an excellent moisturizer for dry skin. It can be used before, during, and exercises to temporarily ease your arthritis hand pain.
Get Your Hands Moving With Jane Fonda
Takeaway: Pain Relief is Possible
While it may feel like you are destined to suffer from arthritis in your hands, with the right hand exercises and a natural pain relief cream, it is possible to get back to the things you love.
